Luke 3:11

3:11 John ¹  answered them, ²  “The person who has two tunics ³  must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.”

Luke 3:2

3:2 during the high priesthood ⁴  of Annas and Caiaphas, the word ⁵  of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ⁶ 

Luke 4:13

4:13 So ⁷  when the devil ⁸  had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time. ⁹ 

¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Grk “Answering, he said to them.” This construction with passive participle and finite verb is pleonastic (redundant) and has been simplified in the translation to “answered them.”

³ tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.

⁴ sn Use of the singular high priesthood to mention two figures is unusual but accurate, since Annas was the key priest from a.d. 6-15 and then his relatives were chosen for many of the next several years. After two brief tenures by others, his son-in-law Caiaphas came to power and stayed there until a.d. 36.

⁵ tn The term translated “word” here is not λόγος (logos) but ῥῆμα (rJhma), and thus could refer to the call of the Lord to John to begin ministry.

⁶ tn Or “desert.”

⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate a summary.

⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the devil) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹ tn Grk “until a favorable time.”